The present invention relates essentially to a switch device for the automatic and selective control of an electric circuit.
It is more particularly directed to a switch device for automatically breaking the electric circuit of a direction indicator of an automotive vehicle.
It is known that the intention to change the running direction of an automotive vehicle may be indicated by the energizing of an electric circuit which operates flashing lights or blinkers on the left or on the right side of the vehicle. Such an energizing of the left or right blinker may be carried out by depressing a button located for instance near the steering wheel of the vehicle and operating the emission of electric pulses or also merely by turning in one direction or in the other direction a small lever easily accessible to the driver holding the steering wheel.
In either case, the breaking of the electric circuit of the blinkers is generally performed automatically when the driver after having made a turn moves the steering wheel back to its neutral position corresponding to a path of travel in a straight line of the vehicle. Thus in the case of operating a blinker by a lever, the automatic return of the lever causing the electric circuit to be broken is provided by a mechanical friction system which becomes operative upon the return of the steering wheel to its neutral position.
The electric circuit breaking control systems proposed hitherto however have the following significant inconvenience. When a driver wishes to negotiate a bend or a corner or to make a right-hand turn, for example, he actuates the blinker control for energizing the electric circuit so as to allow the right-hand blinker to be lit or switched on. However, before making the turn to the right side, he should most of the time steer towards or lock over in the opposite direction i.e. slightly rotate the steering wheel to the left side in order to disengage itself so as to properly negotiate the right-hand turn. It frequently occurs that this locking-over in the opposite direction and the corresponding slight rotation of the steering wheel to the left is sufficient to cause the right-hand blinker to be automatically switched out which as will be appreciated is not desirable since the driver initially wished to indicate that he will turn to the right.
The above-described action is undesirable because after having locked over in the opposite direction the driver is then compelled to operate his blinker control a second time after having locked over in the opposite direction and since such a counter-locking over would stop the operation of the blinker, the warning for a right-hand turn is discontinued with respect to following vehicles so that in a border line case this may result in road or traffic accidents.